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Hand Hygiene Toolkit

2021

Patient Safety Awareness

Your guide to raising awareness among staff, patients, and families

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Proper hand hygiene is the number one way to prevent the spread of infection. EVERYONE—health care professionals, patients, residents, families, and volunteers—should clean their hands thoroughly and at appropriate times to prevent the spread of disease. The term hand hygiene includes both the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol when hands are not visibly dirty and washing with soap and water. May 5 - World Hand Hygiene Day Dec. 1 – 7 - National Handwashing Awareness Week

Hand Hygiene – Use these images, messages, and links in your public social media and internal staff education.

Message 1: Frequent and thorough hand hygiene is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick. Learn more by visiting Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives Tip: When using soap and water, wash for at least 15 seconds which is about the same amount of time to sing “Happy Birthday” twice. When using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, rub hands together covering all surfaces of your hands until they feel dry which is around 20 seconds. #PatientSafetyAwareness #UnitedForPatientSafety

Message 2: There are key times when EVERYONE should perform hand hygiene – learn the before

and after activities at When and How to Wash Your Hands. In addition, health care personnel should also follow these recommendations. Hand Hygiene Guidance #PatientSafetyAwareness #UnitedForPatientSafety

Message 3: 80% of germs are transferred by touch. Visit the CDC Handwashing Campaign to learn how Life is Better with Clean Hands. #PatientSafetyAwareness #UnitedForPatientSafety

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Message 4: As a patient or visitor at a hospital, you should Speak Up for clean hands. Protect yourself by cleaning your own hands and speak up, don’t be afraid to use your voice to ask if your caregivers have performed hand hygiene. CDC Hand Hygiene #PatientSafetyAwareness #UnitedForPatientSafety

Message 5: Stay healthy by making handwashing a regular part of your cooking routine. Wash hands to prevent spreading germs to your food and your family. Handwashing: A Healthy Habit in the Kitchen. #PatientSafetyAwareness #UnitedForPatientSafety

Message 6: Public toilets and door handles harbor all kinds of germs. Avoid the spread of germs and use a paper towel to flush the toilet and open the door. Be sure to throw the towel away after you leave. Learn more about stopping the spread of germs at Life is Better with Clean Hands. #PatientSafetyAwareness #UnitedForPatientSafety

Message 7: Every year on May 5, the World Health Organization (WHO) launches a call to action to improve hand hygiene in health care settings. Learn more about the WHO 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene . #PatientSafetyAwareness #UnitedForPatientSafety

Additional Resources A variety of resources are available to support your Patient Safety Awareness Week campaign. Check out the websites below for information and tools and use the video links in your education and social media. www.cdc.gov/handwashing apic.org Resource - What are healthcare-associated infections?

Printable Resources Hand Hygiene Table Tent Click on the link above to download a PDF of the table tent. The table tent should be printed on 8 ½ X 11” white card stock and then folded into thirds and taped on the seam. You can leave the ¼” margin or trim if desired.

Click to download GIF